The Birthday Bash
by Kathryn0505
Summary: It's Myka's birthday. They celebrate!


**A/N: This is just a quick little story. Today (May 5) is my birthday, so that's what sparked this. Reviews would be a nice birthday present! =]**

* * *

"Myka!" Pete called from outside her door. "Myyyyka!" He knocked loudly, stopping only when it was pulled open, revealing a slightly irritated Myka.

"Pete, what's going on? It's early," Myka whined. Truthfully it was almost 10 o'clock, but this was the one day of the year that she allowed herself to rest.

"Early? You wake me up at like 7 every day."

"That's because you would sleep till noon if no one came to wake you," she commented.

"I try to, but someone always interferes with that plan," he teased. "Listen, I'm going for a jog. Want to come?" Pete eyed her hopefully, really wanting her company. Myka spied him doubtfully, as if trying to detect some ulterior motive. "Pleeeease," he added.

"Alright, give me ten minutes," she conceded.

"Yes!" he cheered. "Okay, I'll meet you downstairs." Pete turned around and practically floated down the stairs, excited not only that she agreed to come, but also that their plan was slowly coming together.

* * *

"Ready?" he asked as she made her way down. He indulged himself a bit and swept his gaze over her jogging outfit, taking in her tank top and rather short shorts.

"Yeah, let's go," her voice snapped his attention back to reality.

"After you." He held the door open for her and let her pass ahead of him.

They ran for ten or fifteen minutes in silence before they struck up some conversation. "What's your favorite movie?" Pete asked her.

Myka thought a moment. "I don't know. I don't really watch that many movies."

"Okay, favorite genre."

"Romance," she replied.

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"Yeah, I just like it. What about yours?"

"Action! That's where it's at."

Myka smiled discretely at him, already having predicted his answer. "Favorite color?" she asked, joining the game of twenty questions.

"Green. Yours?"

"Blue. Or lavender," she added, a bit unsure. "It depends on what we're talking about."

"Number?"

"I don't have a favorite number," she laughed. "They're all the same to me. Do you have a favorite?"

"Seven! How can you not have a favorite? You have to have a favorite!"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because everyone has a favorite!"

"I don't."

"Okay, everyone except you," he told her. "How is that possible?"

"Okay, my favorite is five," she appeased him.

"Really?"

"Of course not, you just told me I had to have one. So there you go," she replied.

He rolled his eyes at her but was nevertheless grinning. She burst out laughing.

"Wait, hold on," she wheezed, trying to get her laughing under control. She slowed down to a stop, and he stopped beside her.

Catching her breath, she looked up at him. "Favorite season?"

"Summer. It's the most relaxing," he explained. "Yours?" They started walking beside each other.

"Fall. It's pretty."

"How do you like it here?" he asked her, a bit more serious. He knew she hadn't wanted to stay, and was honestly surprised that she'd decided not to leave.

"At the warehouse? I do like it." He looked at her doubtfully, so she continued. "It's nice. It's… I thought it would be hard, being in the middle of nowhere. But it's nice with all of us."

"I think so too," he agreed. "It's a bit odd, but we've got a makeshift family going. We all shouldn't fit together, but we do."

She looked up at him, thinking about his theory. He was right, she realized. They had become a sort of family. With few other people around, they had gotten to know and like each other. Pete was absently staring toward the distance, seemingly lost in thought. Without warning, she felt a warmth spread through her chest. He looked so happy, so content to just be there with her, talking about their friends. He was a person who could just enjoy a moment without worrying about what would come next, and she realized in that moment how much she could learn from him.

He caught her staring at him with a pensive look on her face. "Do you want to go ahead and head back?" he asked. "How long have we been gone?"

She glanced at her watch, still a bit lost in thought. When she took longer than she should, he took her hand and looked for her. "Almost an hour. So it'll be another hour back."

"Yeah, we should head back," she told him. He dropped her hand to turn back around, and her disappointment surprised her. They snuck a glance at each other, and resumed their companionable silence for the trip back.

* * *

"I think I'm dying," Pete stated, rather more loudly than necessary. He stomped his shoes on the porch, trying both to get all the dirt off and to make as much noise as possible. He heard some quick footsteps and rushing around inside and knew that he'd been successful.

"We walked most of it," Myka observed.

"It's still like 150 degrees out here. How did it take us longer to get back? It's past 12:30."

"We got tired. I think we're out of shape. Come on, air conditioning is calling us."

Myka opened the door and didn't make it but a few feet before she saw all of the decorations.

"SURPRISE!!!" Claudia, Artie, and Pete yelled.

Myka jumped about a foot in the air before her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Claudia bounded over and put a birthday hat on her head and Artie blew his noisemaker.

"You guys… what-? When-?" Myka stumbled over her words. "How did you guys even know?"

"I know everything about all of you. It's part of the job," Artie explained.

"There's a cake!" Claudia yelled enthusiastically.

"You guys made me a cake?" Myka was touched. She hadn't even thought they knew it was her birthday.

"Yes. Kind of. We tried," Artie told her.

They made their way into the dining room, where a large cake was waiting. Balloons were attached to various chairs and streamers lined the windows.

"Sit!" Claudia commanded, steering Myka to the first chair. She went and got a lighter and lit up the candles on the cake.

"Oh god, please don't sing," she begged.

"Please sing?" Pete purposely misheard. "Okay!" And then he started singing, horribly out of tune, and Artie and Claudia followed as Myka went beet red.

Their singing came to a conclusion, and Myka paused to think of a wish.

"Blow out your candles! It's a fire hazard with all of those things!" Claudia told her.

Myka fixed her with a look. "There's not that many," Pete soothed. "You're the second youngest here."

"Thank you!" Myka told him. Having made up her wish, she leaned over to blow out the thirty-one candles on her cake.

"Okay, let's get that bad boy cut up!" The others turned to give Pete a look. "Okay, I'll admit that was a bit odd but I'm hungry and sugar-deprived," he defended himself.

Artie broke out the knife and began to cut slices. Myka handed him plates and helped him to distribute the sugary delight.

"This is so good. Thank you guys. Really," Myka told them. Looking around at the people with her, she realized just how close they'd all become.

* * *

"Good birthday?" Pete asked, coming to sit beside her on the couch on the back porch. The September air was refreshing, and he took a deep breath.

"It really was," she told him. She smiled.

"What? Why are you smiling at me like that?" he asked, but couldn't keep his own smile off of his face.

"You planned to take me out this morning so that they could set up," she realized for the first time.

"Yeah. I was glad I didn't have to drag you with me," he joked.

She laughed quietly, and he admired her for what had to be the millionth time that day.

"I think I'm going to head to bed," she told him. "I'm exhausted."

"Okay, have a good night." She stood up and he added in a more serious tone, "Happy birthday, Myka."

She impulsively leaned over and gave him a hug. "Thank you for everything," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

She headed back to her room with a smile, feeling like she'd had the best birthday anyone could hope for.


End file.
